Brooklyn 45 – Shudder Review (4/5)

BROOKLYN 45 on Shudder is a new thriller that takes place in Brooklyn in 1945 – hence the title. A horror story plays out in real time with a small cast and in one location. Read our full Brooklyn 45 movie review here!

BROOKLYN 45 is a new Shudder thriller that actually features a real horror story. Complete with ghosts and supernatural elements. In small ways, though, as the true horror comes from the aftermath of war.

I hadn’t read much about this movie prior to watching it, which was a good thing. Watching this all play out, I was completely enthralled with how it played out. The runtime is a sharp 92 minutes, but it might feel a bit long to some viewers due to the theatrical approach. Do yourself a favor and watch it!

Continue reading our spoiler-free Brooklyn 45 movie review below. On Shudder from June 9, 2023.

The horrors of war

While this might be a thriller on the surface, it’s also very much a horror and history movie. It all plays out – pretty much in real-time – in Brooklyn in 1945. And yes, there’s the explanation for the title!

We watch a few characters as they meet up in a Brooklyn apartment. They know each other from WWII where they’ve worked together in various capacities. The horrors of war are still very present for them. Again, in various ways, but always just beneath the surface.

In this Brooklyn apartment – the living room, actually – is where the story plays out. The single location and dialogue-heavy (which I enjoyed) movie, does feel a bit like watching a play in the theater. Again, in a really good way.

I know it isn’t for everyone, but I really hope viewers will give this a shot. You will be rewarded with a solid and intriguing story!

Don’t call out to the ghosts!

The set of friends post-war meet up on the insistence of one friend. He lost his wife recently and wants to do a séance. Not necessarily to speak with his wife – though that is the hope – but simply to know if there is a life after death.

If you call out to ghosts, you must be ready for them to answer. And nobody really expects what happens next. Because yes, needless to say as this is quite the horror story, the séance has disastrous results.

And the aftermath of the séance is just one element of the events that are about to unfold.

The small cast of Brooklyn 45 includes the always wonderful Anne Ramsay (The Taking of Deborah Logan) who plays Marla, a gifted interrogator during WWII. Larry Fessenden (Jakob’s Wife) is the man who invited his old war buddies to his Brooklyn home.

The remaining characters are portrayed by Jeremy Holm (The Block Island Sound), Ron E. Rains, Ezra Buzzington (The Nowhere Inn, The Hills Have Eyes), and Kristina Klebe (Lucky). Every single one of the actors in Brooklyn 45 delivers stellar performances!

Watch Brooklyn 45 on Shudder and AMC+

Ted Geoghegan is the writer and director of Brooklyn 45 which is a very personal movie in many ways. The screenplay was developed with the help of his late father, Michael. An Air Force veteran and a U.S. History teacher.

The movie is also very appropriately dedicated to the filmmaker’s father.

When you watch this movie, knowing that it was constructed with someone who has served and knows their history, adds a very important layer to the story. An already strong story becomes an important history lesson that many just might need to be reminded of these days.

As a writer and director, Ted Geoghegan also made We Are Still Here and he took part in creating the story for Satanic Panic. To name just two of the genre productions, he previously worked on. So, yeah, Ted Geoghegan knows how to create a solid genre movie, and he did with this one as well.

BROOKLYN 45 will stream on Shudder and AMC+ from June 9, 2023.

Details

Director: Ted Geoghegan
Script: Ted Geoghegan
Cast: Anne Ramsay, Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden, Ezra Buzzington, and Kristina Klebe